Review: Offensive Rebound by MJ Fields

TRAE
It's a call that changes my life--and my little girl's. Years ago, playing for the NBA was the dream, but the Seattle Stallions suck. Worse than that, my old teammate is now the star center--not to mention my number one rival. There has to be a catch, some sort of agenda. Before I was injured, I was the best. Now? There's no way they want me.
But when I see the roster and salaries, it all comes together. It's a chance to get on the court again and change our lives. And I just can't wait for the opportunity to finally take him down. What I never counted on is Courtney Cohen being the game changer.

COURTNEY
I inherited the Bad News Bears of the NBA. When I discovered the star center, my ex fiancé, cheating on me, all I want is to jump ship before the whole thing sinks. But with revenge on my mind, I exact a plan. Take down the dirty player and save my father's dream.

Suddenly twelve minutes is too little time, and a season is not long enough. Will it be love, or just a game?

Review

You know those books that you read that can just instantly change your mood and make you feel happy? This is one of those books! The overall vibe of the story is sweet and fun, sexy and hilarious. It feels light and carefree even though it deals with some serious stuff, and you’ll be hard pressed to not fall for these characters! Usually yes, the relationship between the characters is what everyone remembers most about a book but the vibe and feel of Offensive Rebound is something else I won’t forget. There’s a quote from Maya Angelou that goes something along the lines of “People will forget what you said, they’ll forget what you did, but they’ll never forget the way you made them feel”, and I think that’s the case with this book. You may forget some specific details over time, you may forget some specific quotes and lines, but you’ll never forget everything this book and these characters will make you feel.

“Christa is sobbing, Courtney’s a mess, and there ain’t shit I can do but try to hold it together for both of them while I’m falling apart inside.”

Trae… Oh Trae. First off, this world needs more men like Trae Rhodes. He was absolutely incredible and such a treat to read. He’s loyal, protective, sweet, determined and caring. He’s a leader. And an absolute alpha! But not your stereotypical alpha, mind you. He’s strong and aggressive and can take charge but he also has a tenderness, a softness to him as well which was so amazing and fantastic contrast. This man made me swoon to the mother effing MAX! Move over book boyfriends list, Trae is on the book HUSBANDS list (mine only has 2 others!!). Need I say more?

“You needed me, and I needed you to need me. I’m a fucking man, Courtney. More importantly, I’m your man.”

Courtney quickly became one of my favourite heroines. She starts out unsure but her progression and growth were stupendous, she was strong and determined but level headed. I loved her outlook and how she took on the project of the Seattle Stallions and how she made it her own. This would’ve been an incredibly difficult situation but she had balls of steel and she wasn’t afraid to throw down! Add Trae into this mix and sparks were bound to fly. I really did love her character. She didn’t take herself too seriously but at the same time, demanded respect for her position and her goals.

“I am piss and vinegar, and ready to unleash my bitterness on a bunch of players, a coach, and a staff of men who view me as a joke.”

The chemistry between these two was on another level. From teasing and flirting to their banter and quieter moments, these two had it all. Not only were the sparks flying, but I can’t stress how important and sweet the intimate moments were and how much they added to the relationship. These two couldn’t help but give it their all.

“I pull Courtney back and shut the door, caging us back inside the bathroom. Landry and her folks are all sorts of pissed, but I don’t care. She’s feeling like shit, and I’m feeling like I need her.”

This book also comes with a complete cast of secondary characters who are PERFECT! Christa was the epitome of a perfect best friend plus she was sassy, fun and charming. She may not have always been the brightest lightbulb in the room but she was so much fun to read about exactly how she was. Security guard Bill was another guy who just stole the show. You knew from the get go that is guy is important! And James, can’t forget about him! When we first met James, I couldn’t stop laughing, I didn’t know how I was going to keep reading. As far as secondary characters go, this guy might just take the cake!! Loved him.

“Oh, damn!” Christa yells as Trae steals the ball. “He’s flying! He’s flying! Christ on a cracker, is he a bird? Is he a plane? Hell no, he’s a baller with wings and…Oh, man, he made a three! Sweet baby Jesus, a three! That means we won, right? James, did we win?”
“Yes, Christa, the Stallions have won their first game ever,” James answers, grinning like a proud father.
“James, are you crying?” Christa asks.
“No.” He wipes away a tear. “No, I’m not.”
“Do you need a tissue?”
James gives her a dirty look.
She giggles, shrugging. “It’s just a game.”
The buzzer sounds. The game is over.
“It’s not a game; it’s my life. And these are not tears.” James stands up and begins walking away. “It’s allergies!”

I seriously how there’s a possibility for this series to continue. I want a book for Christa! There’s some little breadcrumb clues left in this story so fingers crossed for her and Parker to get a book.

“We can arm wrestle over her.”
Oh, my God! I laugh.
“How about rock, paper, scissors? I can so beat your ass at that,” Christa challenges.
She doesn’t. She loses all seven times. The last three, Trae does paper, and I know he’s trying to give her a chance, but she just doesn’t catch on.
God, I love her.

I’m so impressed with this storyline and how different it is than so many romances out there today. A balanced and well thought out plot that’s different, fresh and captivating all while giving you bursts of emotion and heat. Plus, there’s just something to be said about a guy who is an amazing father. I usually shy away from books where a character already has a child but when it comes to Trae, how can you resist? I would -cough- have all of his babies -cough-.

Part of what makes this story such a success is the banter, it’s on point!

You don’t photograph well.” He grins wickedly.
“You did not just say that!” I kick him under the table, and he laughs.
“Be careful. You may damage something you’ll enjoy someday.”
“Oh, please, I kicked your ankle.”
“Mere inches from the goods.” He winks.
“And a big head.”
“Proportionate.”
“I was talking about your ego,” I huff.
“Let’s stop talking about our soon-to-be sex life and back to Coach. What did he say?”
I shake my head. “You make my head spin, Rhodes.”
He raises his eyebrows. “That’s nothing. Wait until I’m facedown between your legs.”
My mouth drops open before I sputter out, “I was talking about the fact you keep switching subjects!”
He chuckles. “I can multitask.”
“You’re impossible.”
“For most. But for you, I’ll be easy.”

I really enjoyed how easy it was to go through not only scene after scene but emotion after emotion. I felt everything for these two! From butterflies to having my heart break and everything in between. By the end I wanted to sing from the freaking rooftops and twirl around in the mountains like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music! Though that might frighten some animals and whatnot with my tone deafness, so I’ll stick with writing a review instead.

Honestly, nothing can wipe this smile off my face right now. This book just makes me so happy!

Something I tend to do quite frequently (even when I don’t announce which one) is that I love to associate a song with a story. Where its relating to the theme or a character, I usually pick one or two and that song is then forever tied to that book for me. In the case of Offensive Rebound: Holding Court, that song is I Think I’m in Love by Kat Dahlia. And it may not be perfect, but even the feeling of the song seems to match. Don’t believe me? Just check out some of these lyrics. <3

Time’s a ticking hearts are running
Think that Cupid’s up to something
You ask me how I feel I say nothing
But lately colors seems so bright
And the stars light up the night
My feet they feel so light
I’m ignoring all the signs
I keep on frontin’
They ask they bluffin’
I keep you wondering
Keep you hunting for my lovin’
But I crave us hugging
Yeah stay stubborn
‘Cause I can’t admit that you got all the strings
And know just how tug ’em

There’s a few one liners which are so stinking cute my cheeks hurt from my giddy smile. I wouldn’t even call it cheesy cause it works with how they’re written into the dialogue and spaced out enough to not be overbearing. This couple is just everything. One thing I will call cheesy though and I couldn’t get on board with was the hero looking towards the heroine during a game and winking. I’m sorry, I laughed. I could see it maybe once or twice if the heroine had seats near the bench (don’t some owners usually sit in a suite or box?), but it happened fairly frequently for my liking. I ended up just ignoring it and pretending it wasn’t happening. 😉 <— see what I did there? A few is fine by me!

“Court, you’ll need to get used to me telling you what I wanna do to you.”
“You don’t have to be so crude.” Her voice quivers.
“And you don’t have to taste so fucking sweet, but you do, and I am, so just go with it.”

The timeline for me was a little hard to grasp. I couldn’t really keep track of the days and by the time I figured it out, apparently it had only been like, 5 days time or something? LOL. I had no clue, I just assumed it was longer with how the relationship had been progressing. Then as the season progressed more past the exhibition games, I wasn’t sure how much time was actually passing in each segment. Ultimately it really doesn’t matter, I didn’t even notice until about the 60% mark that I had no clue how long the characters had known each other, so it’s not something that’s blatantly obvious.

“His season, her time.” My heart, which was previously encased in ice (Canada, what have you) just melted into a pile of mushy, non heart shaped goo. What am I suppose to do with this mess now? Can someone please bring me a mop?

“When I’m near her, I am aware of every breath she takes—that’s what I told your mom. What I learned last night is that, when I’m not near you, it’s harder to breathe, knowing you are steps away. You have my season, I have your time, and we do this one hundred and ten percent.”

There were a few times where a bit more detail needed to be added to make sure there wasn’t any confusion. Some slight jumps in conversation, or perhaps something is mentioned that the reader doesn’t have all the necessary info for and its a bit confusing. Like in the major conflict, I didn’t realize Courtney was worried about the possibility of -blank- so I couldn’t figure out why she was saying that, I thought she was upset because of the more obvious reason. However, with that being said, I also did read an ARC and I know this was not the final published copy, so some tweaks could’ve been made to this area in which I didn’t see. Either way, it works. I’m just getting nit picky at this point.

Even with these small things I found, I can’t rate this as less than five stars. If a book is making me feel this vividly for these characters, I simply can’t. I’m over the moon. By 60% I was telling everyone who would listen how in love I was with this story because I simply couldn’t keep it quiet. Trae, Courtney and the whole gang will have you stomping your feet and cheering as the Stallions charge the court. And pay attention, because with some well timed offensive rebounds, MJ truly shows who is Holding Court. A 3-pointer at the buzzer and a swish for MJ Fields!

“Everyone wants a team; a place they belong. They want to feel a part of something and like they matter.”

About MJ Fields

USA Today bestselling author MJ Fields love of writing was in full swing by age eight.

Together with her cousins, she wrote a newsletter and sold it for ten cents to family members.

She self-published her first contemporary, new adult romance in January 2013. Today she has completed seven self-published series, The Love series, The Wrapped series, The Burning Souls series, The Men of Steel series, Ties of Steel series, The Rockers of Steel series and The Norfolk series.

MJ is a hybrid author and publishes an Indie book almost every month, and is signed with a traditional publisher, Loveswept, Penguin Random House, for her co- written series The Caldwell Brothers. Hendrix, Morrison, and Jagger. All three books in the series are published. The Caldwell brothers don’t grow into alphas, when their mother passes away they become her legacy, her good in the world of bad.

MJ was a former small business owner, who closed shop so she could write full time. She lives in central New York, surrounded by family and friends. Her house is full of pets, friends, and noise ninety percent of the time, and she would have it no other way.